It’s expected to be business as usual this holiday weekend at Wilmington International Airport.
 
The forecast calls for partly cloudy skies all weekend, with temperatures in the 50s and 60s through the middle of next week.
 
“ILM and the airlines are watching the weather closely,” said airport spokeswoman Erin McNally. “We are fortunate that the weather here in Wilmington looks clear; however, there are places in the U.S. with possible winter weather. Winter weather conditions in one part of the country could impact airline operations throughout the system.”
 
McNally said because of those potential weather conditions in other parts of the country, passengers using ILM should still plan for the possibility of delays and check airline websites for the latest details.
 
“ILM and our partner tenants, like Delta and American Airlines, rental car agencies, Tailwinds Restaurant, have all been in the business long enough to have a strong grasp of holiday staffing needs,” McNally added. “Here at the Wilmington International Airport, our employees are very conscious of customer service and make adjustments to their normal routine to accommodate our passengers.”
 
The holiday season for ILM so far this year has seen an increase over 2015.
 
“The Wilmington International Airport had a very strong Thanksgiving to start the holiday season – it was 8 percent higher than Thanksgiving 2015,” McNally said.
 
For 2016 overall, airport officials report it has been a good year.
 
“Passenger statistics are very good,” said airport director Julie Wilsey. “We are optimistic that our 2016 calendar year numbers will be higher than 2015. We are monitoring our trends, which look favorable, however we are mindful of how the winter weather between now and the end of the year could have an impact.”
 
Winter is historically the lowest passenger season of the year for ILM.
 
Nationally, AAA projects that 98.6 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the year-end holiday season, an increase of four percent from the 94.8 million people who traveled last year.
 
Closer to home, more than three million North Carolinians are expected to travel at least 50 miles for Christmas or New Year's holidays, according to AAA Carolinas. That’s a new record and a 1 percent increase from last year.
 
Here in Wilmington, flight arrivals and departures and any possible delays can be monitored on the ILM website. 
 
It is recommended passengers arrive one and a half to two hours prior to their flight. Those taking early morning flights in particular are strongly encouraged to arrive two hours early as the morning is generally the airport’s busiest time of day.